WEEKLY WHINE

Drafting history

Last week, MLS held an expansion priority draft involving the two clubs that will join next season, New York City FC and Orlando City SC. Amongst the highlights were Orlando claiming top spot in the expansion draft and regular draft [which MLS still insists is called the “Superdraft”], NYCFC taking the top of the allocation order, and the Jason Kreis “I Just Made a Mistake” Face at 07:36. We look forward to Orlando supporters bringing giant Kreis Face posters to their first match against NYCFC.

The complete results were:

1. Orlando City selects the first pick in the expansion draft; New York City is given the second pick.
2. New York City selects the highest allocation ranking; Orlando City is given the second highest ranking.
3. Orlando City selects the first pick in the regular draft; New York City is given the second pick.
4. New York City selects the second lowest discovery ranking; Orlando City is given the lowest ranking.
5. Orlando City selects the highest USL Pro/​NASL ranking; New York City is given the second highest ranking.
6. New York City selects the second lowest ranking in the waiver and reentry drafts; Orlando City is given the lowest ranking.
7. Orlando City selects the second lowest weighted lottery ranking; New York City is given the lowest ranking.
8. New York City selects the highest designated player ranking; Orlando City is given the second highest ranking.

Here now we answer the many questions raised by this draft.

WHY DO NYCFC AND OCSC GET THE LAST TWO PLACES IN SOME OF THE RANKINGS BUT THE FIRST TWO IN OTHERS?

We don’t know. The league probably wants to help the expansion clubs assemble competitive rosters, but it also knows that it wouldn’t make sense to give the expansion clubs all of the breaks.

WHAT IS THE DESIGNATED PLAYER RANKING BASED ON?

We don’t know. It is not mentioned in MLS’s list of roster rules.

BUT IT’S A RANKING THAT DECIDES PRIORITY FOR DESIGNATED PLAYERS, RIGHT?

We don’t know. One would assume that from the name.

THEN WHY DIDN’T THE LEAGUE USE THAT WHEN JERMAINE JONES SIGNED?

We don’t know. There are two possibilities. Either the ranking doesn’t apply to Jones because he is a Designated Player of a Certain Threshold, or the ranking was just created after the Jones fiasco.

WHAT THRESHOLD IS THAT?

We don’t know. The league has not stated that publicly.

WHAT IS THE CURRENT DESIGNATED PLAYER RANKING?

We don’t know. Unlike the allocation order, the league has not stated that publicly.

SO WAIT. WHY WOULD MLS BOTHER TO HAVE A RANKING FOR DESIGNATED PLAYERS IF THEY’RE NOT EVEN GOING TO USE IT FOR SOME OF THEM?

We don’t know.

FOR THAT MATTER, WHY DO TEAMS HAVE TO USE ALLOCATIONS TO SIGN SOME DESIGNATED PLAYERS BUT NOT OTHERS?

We don’t know. This would be a simple rule change that should be made immediately. From this moment forward, teams must use an allocation to sign a designated player. This obsoletes the designated player ranking and removes the need for any future random draws for DPCTs.

WHY COULDN’T JASON KREIS READ HIS OWN NOTES?

We don’t know. We are still waiting to see if Kreis will join the George O’Leary Club of coaches sacked before their first match.

ABOUT THAT WEIGHTED LOTTERY. NYCFC AND OCSC HAVE THE TWO LOWEST RANKINGS, BUT HOW MUCH OF A CHANCE DOES THAT ACTUALLY GIVE THEM?

We don’t know. The league has not stated that publicly. Weighted lotteries are used when players who are eligible for the regular draft sign with the league after the cutoff for the regular draft.

AND ANYWAY, IF IT’S A WEIGHTED LOTTERY, WHY NOT JUST GIVE BOTH TEAMS THE SAME CHANCES OF WINNING?

We don’t know. This is another simple rule change that should be made immediately. From this moment forward, teams may have equal chances in a weighted lottery if they have equal point totals over the previous 34 matches, or if they are expansion clubs that have played fewer than 34 matches.

SO IF THE WEIGHTED LOTTERY IS FOR DRAFT ELIGIBLE PLAYERS, WHY WERE NYCFC AND OCSC GIVEN THE TOP TWO DRAFT PICKS BUT THE BOTTOM TWO WEIGHTED LOTTERY RANKINGS?

We don’t know.

YOU DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT MLS, DO YOU?

We know enough not to read useless FAQ pages that don’t actually answer the questions that are frequently asked.